Just step inside this Heights shop and smell the difference. It's like taking a gourmet-shopping trip around the world. Want Vietnamese cinnamon? Tellicherry black peppercorns? Szechuan pepper salt? Mexican oregano? Yep, Penzeys has all that and more, offering spices, herbs, seasonings, gift boxes and some pretty cool pepper mills and saltshakers. It's a great place to buy gifts, and novices need not worry. The friendly staff will offer recipes and sniff tests. You could spend hours here just sniffing all the different kinds of chili powders. It's spice heaven.

Here in H-Town's funkier regions, strip malls, those much-maligned supposed harbingers of sterility and bland suburbanism, sure can have a hell of a lot of grit and soul. Take this doozy on the northside, just across the street from the site of the former Northline Mall. The actual strip looks to be about 50 years old, and it's a one-stop for just about all your H-Town needs. There's 'cue and CFS at the arched-roofed Hungry Farmer, ghetto Chinese at the rugged little red-roofed China Inn, and a shop where you can buy or even rent a boomin' system for your ride. Best of all, there's one of the last outposts of the once-mighty Soundwaves music/surf chain, and unlike the Montrose location, the Crosstimbers outlet does not force its primarily blues/soul, hip-hop, zydeco and gospel inventory to contend for shelf space with boogie boards and ding repair kits, so it's that rarest of things: a living, breathing record store. That's one reason that in looking at this delightfully run-down and lovably cheesily constructed strip from across the street, you could convince yourself it's any year between 1975 and 2010. Timelessness like that is often in too short supply in this ever-changing, ephemeral megalopolis.

The gas station at the northeast corner of Montrose and Richmond used to be a full-service garage and repair shop, meaning the retail part of it was as cramped as most Montrose convenience stores. Now it's a big, shining example of how to do gas stations right. There's 14 pumps — in the middle of Montrose! — but inside is where A to Z Food & Deli really comes through. Sparklingly clean, the store not only offers a great selection of convenience-store stuff, it features a not-bad-at-all kitchen and deli, with subs, breakfast tacos, Philly cheese steaks and other items. The staff is friendly and eager, too.

It wasn't long ago that River Oaks was considered the richest ZIP code in the nation. But time can take its toll, and even $15 million mansions need a facelift sometimes. During the last three decades, Houston's Exterior Worlds has helped with that. The company specializes in "high-end landscape design," repairing and building outdoor fountains, luxury swimming pools and even outdoor kitchens. That's along with the normal range of services. Exterior Worlds helps keep River Oaks one area that non-Houstonians can envy.

Smack-dab between the antiquing hotspots of lower Westheimer and West 19th Street there looms this 1895 carriage barn, with more than 5,000 square feet of trash 'n' treasure within. Lots of antique stores tend to cater to women, but Heights Station's multi-dealer layout features a couple of fun testosterone zones with their sports memorabilia and rock and roll collectibles sections. You can get that old chair just about anywhere, but only at Heights Station — the mother of all attics — can you also go home with a signed 8-by-10 glossy of Journey from their "Don't Stop Believin'" heyday and a Charley Kerfeld rookie card.

Sticking out like a giant neon-pink boner, Zone D'Erotica's Galleria location is the perfect paean to no-zoning laws. So you wanna create a huge commercial district with a Container Store, Cheesecake Factory and plenty of nice hotels for dentistry conventions? Fine, we're going to build a big freakin' gaudy, obnoxious-looking place where you can buy edible undies and double-headed dongs. Somehow, shopping for these unmentionables in such a squeaky-clean corporate Green Zone makes the whole thing dirtier, and thus sexier. There are a million places in Houston to buy sexy whatnots (thank God!), but this is really the best place to get 'er done. Go see for yourself.

For some people, including us, Wolf's Department Store & Pawn Shop is as much a Houston institution as Spec's, the Astrodome or the Galleria. At Wolf's, you can find a nice selection of new Kangol and Stetson hats, and the pawn shop collection is light years better than the typical stock. Even better, Wolf's has been around since 1955 and still maintains a vintage look that's truly authentic. It's the kind of place that makes the Third Ward so unique. Wolf's would be a great loss if the area ever goes the way of other wards and becomes overrun with condos and coffee shops.

There's something fishy at the Whole Foods on Kirby. And we mean that in a good way. The fish section here is swimming with good buys, fresh fish and the coolest fishmongers in town. These guys and gals know their stuff. They stock only organic, sustainable seafood, and they'll tell you what's best and freshest and how to cook it. They also gladly go the extra yard for regulars. No crab-stuffed tilapia filets today? No worries, they'll make you some on the spot. And they'll shell and vein your shrimp and debone your Copper River sockeye (which, by the way, was cheaper here this summer than at that other high-end grocery store in town).

The name of this category does not begin to do justice to The Fish Gallery, which could almost pass for a museum of natural science — except for the comfy leather couches in a soothing pale blue. The Fish Gallery offers outreach programs as a museum would: a summer reading program for children and kids' birthday parties. This summer's kickoff party for the reading program drew 72 visitors — when was the last time you saw that many people in a library? The Fish Gallery, one of seven in a nationwide chain, offers custom-designed aquariums, freshwater or saltwater. Looking for a respectable handheld pool skimmer? Check. The delicate Discus fish? Check. Captive-bred or wild corals? Check. CO2 and H2O refill stations? Check.

Just like Madonna or Cher, our local hairstylist to the stars goes by one name only, thank you very much. Cerón's salon in Uptown Park (as well as his space at The Omni and his new Neiman Marcus shop in Dallas) caters to blue-hairs and socialites alike, but you don't have to be Becca Cason Thrash to get a color touch-up or blowout from a wonder in cowboy boots and tight-fitting leather pants. Anyone can get an appointment, if you book early enough. Cerón has been profiled in Texas Monthly and frequently appears in the party pages as arm candy for the rich and bold-named women around the state. But don't let that intimidate you. He's just a sweetheart wielding a blow dryer. Getting your hair done by Cerón is one of those things that should be on any Texan's bucket list.

If you ever get lost and you look over and see the world's largest anything, chances are you're in Houston. Fishing Tackle Unlimited helps with that, because the place is literally the world's largest tackle store. The good thing is, it's not an overdone Disney World-type place like other mammoth outdoor shops. The reel section alone is enough to make your head spin — especially if you check out the price tags. You can also "test drive" kayaks in the store's outdoor pool. Put it this way: If you're working on a research paper about fishing, skip the library and head to Fishing Tackle Unlimited.

Sit. Stay. Play. Doggies do it all at Rover Oaks Pet Resort, and why not? This five-year-old establishment offers luxury suites that rival rooms at Hotel ZaZa for pets staying overnight. Doggie Day Camp-ers can romp over acres of green space, get in a little cuddle time and gorge on "gourmet" meals. There's also a state-of-the-art spa and training facilities, all of it squeaky clean. But, just like any River Oaks private school, your four-legged love has to apply and go through a screening process to get in. If Fido makes the cut, the staff here will be your pup's new BBFs.